If you want to understand the interaction between market laws and social norms, you can use a simple example. "We are one big family!" This mantra echoes through thousands of company corridors. Romanticized images on the walls, evocative slogans in meetings, motivational sayings in newsletters—all of this is meant to show that we are more than just a company, we are a place of charity. It has been proven that people show more commitment to relationships that involve social norms (i.e., their private lives) than to market norms (their professional lives). So doesn't it make sense to tap into this "extra effort" with the "family mantra"?
Market norms mean market laws: perform well. Work to benefit others in exchange for money. This world is more sober, more cold. Social norms describe the laws of social bonds. This world is warmer, characterized by personal closeness and connecting values. Market norms are also about power and dominance, while social norms are about acceptance and equality. Why do we remove the price tag when giving gifts? So that the gift remains part of the social norm. The price is part of the market norm. You probably know people who are strong in the social norm and fail in the market norm, and others for whom the opposite is true.
Social norms and psychology in the workplace: The era of the doers is over
In psychology, social norms describe various, mostly positively evaluated behavior patterns in private life. These are contrasted with market laws, or market norms, in the professional environment. In companies with a "family atmosphere," we see a clash between these norms. What sounds great at first comes back like a boomerang. Times change—and so do norms. During the industrialization era, there was a clear "family deal." The boss: "I'll give you security, you'll adore me!" The workers: "I'll be your serf, great leader. You'll take care of me!" But those days are long gone. Today, many people fail to live up to both norms at a high level. They can't get their lives in balance.
Theodor W. Adorno on social norms:
"You will only be loved where you can show your weakness without provoking strength."
But that doesn't work in a commercial enterprise. Because no matter how humane it is, if there's no money, it can no longer be social. Humans, on the other hand, are social beings who need the warmth of a nest, and everyone has to provide for their own private nest. Those who fail to do so seek their nest at work. And that's what offices look like: yucca palms, a gallery of ancestral photographs, a freezer, and an espresso machine. No wonder so many people have problems with their work-life balance. They burn out without even noticing.
Therefore, always focus on both standards. Neither is better or worse. Both are important. Immaturity means favoring or devaluing one of the two norms. Work-life balance does not mean working intensively during the day and drinking a glass of wine in the evening after jogging. People experience the greatest emotional stress when social norms and market norms conflict. Both are vital, but each must be followed and lived at the right time.
Market norms are defined by success, social norms by fulfillment.
Observe who in your environment is strong in market norms and weak in social norms—or vice versa. It will become crystal clear to you where unnecessary conflicts arise. From now on, you'll be prepared. Make sure you set clear boundaries. Do what I do: I'm a leadership expert. I make a very good living from it. When an acquaintance asks me a career question at a social gathering, I reply, "If I were a dentist, would you open your mouth and ask me to look at your gums?"
That's why you're not really happy.
Why success and fulfillment have nothing to do with each other.
Image source: ©Gellinger Pixabay
